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Music PR Is Changing And Maybe For The Better

Investing in a solid PR strategy or company was one of the necessary payments that an artist would have to make during a release. These campaigns are normally fairly costly and for emerging artists the return may not be worth the investment. Thankfully, there are now much more affordable alternatives that also give you further control of your art. 

A lot of artists these days have taken charge of almost all elements of their project. In fact, a lot of bands and artists are their own managers, social media managers and tour manager. To be successful you have to be able to manage these elements successfully. This may sound daunting but it’s never been easier to control all these elements yourself. Streaming services such as Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Music (to name a few) have allowed artists to get their music in the digital realm with ease. However, to make sure your music is heard by the larger audience it deserves you need to promote it. 

This is where a PR company would come in and offer a flat rate to create your press release, contact bloggers, magazines and radios. Services such as this can be costly and is something you’d need to pay out with every release, whether that is a single, EP or LP. 

For established artists this service is absolutely essential but for artists that are starting out or emerging it can be a big hit in the wallet for a small return. Thankfully there are now platforms designed to put your PR strategy in your hands. It also allows you to set your own affordable budget. The two main platforms are MUSOSOUP and SubmitHub. Some artists will tend to pick one of these sites but you can alternate and even use them all at the same time (budget depending). Each site varies a little in how it works on getting your music out there. 

Today we will be going into further details with the two main sites MUSOSOUP and SubmitHub, both of which are fantastic PR tools for your upcoming releases. 

MUSOSOUP 

MUSOSOUP (like us at RouteNote) is ran by people who have worked in all corners of the music industry, from musicians through to PR specialists. It was clear to them that PR was costing artists too much and that for emerging acts it should be more affordable. They also saw that all the thousands of curators, writers and bloggers deserve a cut for their content. What they have created is a self-fulfilling circle where content creators get paid and artists get their music out to a massive audience across multiple platforms. 

So, how does MUSOSOUP work? 

Well you submit your music, with the artwork and self made bio (they also can help you create an effective press release). They will then make sure that it is of a good enough quality for their curators (all before you’ve paid a penny). Once your music is approved you will be asked to pay a one off payment of £15. This then puts you in direct contact with thousands of bloggers, radio hosts and online publications around the world. Each curator will then sift through submissions and then send you an offer for coverage, sometimes paid and sometimes free. It is totally up to you what you choose. It is also up to you how many you say yes too. This platform really puts the power in your hands. 

They even have a handy video you can watch here:

How To Use It

So once your music is on the site you will start getting offers, this may seem a little overwhelming at first. So, the best thing to do is set out a clear plan of what coverage you want from your release. Do you want reviews? Or perhaps you’re more interested in getting featured on playlists? Make sure you have a clear idea beforehand that way you can set your budget and direct your money in the right places. It is important to remember though that there will also be free coverage offered too. Everyone wins when using MUSOSOUP and it is a great way to build relationships with content creators for your future releases. 

Summary 

MUSOSOUP is a great platform to submit your music to for free and paid coverage. It puts you in contact with thousands of content creators through a multitude of platforms. If you’re looking for playlists, written reviews and radio play then look no further. 

Check them out here.

SubmitHub 

Founded in 2015 SubmitHub was designed to make sending music to curators as easy and transparent as possible. So far more than 1,217,000 songs have been shared via the platform. SubmitHub uses a credit system which is broken down into premium credits (paid) and standard credits (free), premium credits have an increased chance of curators accepting. Through SubmitHub curators will offer written content, soundcloud reposts and playlists placements. 

How To Use It 

Okay, so now you need to upload it via SubmitHub with all the relevant information and single artwork, filtered your genres which will help you find which outlets that will like your music and then submit! You should then receive a flurry of curators offering content if they like it and if they don’t SubmitHub has a feedback system. So either way you get something of value. The websites code also bans curators from copy and pasting feedback, so each bit of feedback is tailored towards you specifically. In addition to this YOU can leave feedback on the curator and if their feedback isn’t accepted by multiple artists then SubmitHub will work with them to give better, more constructive feedback. It’s very quick and easy to submit to SubmitHub but the lower financial incentive to content creators may mean lower quality content (but not necessarily). It is however, a great way to get playlist features and soundcloud reposts. 

Summary 

SubmitHub is arguably the quickest and easiest way to get your music (particularly single releases) to a wide range of talented curators and content creators. It is also a great way to get honest and proper feedback regarding your music. So, even if your music is declined by a curator they have to give you a reason to as why. So, no matter the outcome it is still a rewarding experience. It’s also filled to the brim with statistics on curators. Each curator is rated on their reach, feedback and SEO. Not to mention the curators overall quality. Meaning you have a clear idea who you’re submitting too and what to expect from them. You will also receive statistics on your submissions too, such as who listened and how long for. All important data that can help you with future releases. 

Check them out here.

There you have it, two really great tools to take control of the press release of your upcoming release. It may still require some financial investment but it can be built totally around your own set budget. No matter what, it will be a lot cheaper than having to pay for a publicist. It is also worth remembering that both platforms have free coverage offers, so not every piece of content you’ll receive will have to be paid for. Using both these tools also means you don’t need to send a thousand emails out to magazines etc to have maybe one reply. Which gives you more time to focus on your music! 

If you’re looking to boost your listens and continue building a strong fanbase then these tools are essential.